A phone call from Fox News’ own lawyer is at the center of Tucker Carlson’s case against the embattled network, two sources familiar with the call have confirmed to the Daily Caller.
Fox News’ Chief Legal Counsel Viet Dinh allegedly called a close associate of Carlson’s on May 3 asking to have a message relayed to Carlson. Dinh expressed regret at how the previous week had played out in the media, according to two sources, reassuring Carlson’s camp that Fox News had “not authorized” the leaks that led to several negative headlines. Sources say Dinh also relayed that the head of Fox News PR, Irena Briganti, had been warned she would be “fired” if she were caught leaking. Critically, he also confessed, according to the sources, that the network’s leaders suspected a member of the board of directors had been speaking to the press about Tucker without authorization.
Carlson’s camp suspected either former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan or Anne Dias, a wealthy hedge fund manager, according to a source. Both were appointed to Fox’s board in March of 2019. Carlson’s inner circle has since ruled out Ryan, according to sources, and now believes it was Dias who talked to the press.
Carlson’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the Daily Caller the leaks amounted to a “smear campaign.”
“It strains credulity that, immediately after agreeing to pay almost $780 million to settle serious allegations of misconduct that a member of Fox’s Board of Directors would be engaging in an attempted smear campaign by illegally leaking information about Tucker Carlson,” Freedman said. “However, we have to trust that it is true when the Chief Legal Officer informs Tucker that he believes it to be the case.”
Carlson accused Fox of breaching his contract, arguing in a letter to Dinh and Briganti that Fox employees, including Rupert Murdoch, promised not to disparage Carlson, according to Axios. Carlson’s lawyers argue Dinh and Murdoch intentionally broke the “material representations,” according to the report.
